New categories refresh legal awards

The 14th annual Scott + Co Scottish Legal Awards, the national independent awards programme for lawyers and the legal industry has launched with a fresh list of categories designed to promote the achievements of the sector. A 13-strong judging panel made of up representatives covering the breadth of the industry will select the cream of the crop in 18 categories which invite entries from firms, teams and individuals working in Scottish legal services. Three new categories have been announced, including a major individual award named Lawyer of the Year. The category, sponsored by the Law Society of Scotland, offers an opportunity to highlight the achievements of a truly excellent lawyer in the last year. In addition, in response to demand from loyal followers of the programme, a category promoting client service has been created. Excellence in Client Care looks to highlight the role of the customer in the legal industry and seeks to identify best practise in organisations and firms. Finally, a category has been created for the legal aid community. The Legal Aid Lawyer of the Year will be assessed from a range of testimonials and by reviewing case history in the last 12 months with judges looking for a milestone project or outcome. Joy McLaughlin, Director of Scott+Co, the headline sponsors of the Scottish Legal Awards, said: “Launching the Scottish Legal Awards in 2015 is particularly rewarding in the context of many exciting changes and challenges facing the industry. Having just renewed our sponsorship of this important programme for another three years, we are very much looking forward to reviewing entries in a refreshed list of categories. We wish all entrants the very best of luck.” The new categories have been designed following a successful year in the legal awards, with the largest number of entries ever received in last year’s programme. Entrants have until 26 November to craft their entries by considering their key achievements of teams and key individuals. The judging panel consists of 15 experts and will be chaired for the first time by Shonaig Macpherson, a former lawyer, non-executive director and judge in the 2015 programme. Other members include Lorna Jack, Chief Executive of the Law Society of Scotland; Christine McLintock, President, The Law Society of Scotland; Paul McCluskey, Head of Professional Practices, Bank of Scotland; Paul White, Director, LawWorks Scotland; and Frasia Wright, who leads one of Scotland’s longest-established specialist recruitment agencies to the legal sector, Frasia Wright Associates. The winners will be announced at Edinburgh’s Assembly Rooms in March next year. • All categories, with the exception of two, are subject to the standard entry procedure, with entries loaded up via www.thelegalawards.com. Chairman/Managing Partner of the Year and Lifetime Achievement award are not open for formal submissions; however recommendations to the judging panel are encouraged via email to Kirsten@kdmedia.co.uk. Guidance on the entry process is available from Pippa@kdmedia.co.uk or by calling 0131-337 6322.